Week 1 Discussion: You as a Project Manager
Many of you may believe that you have never worked in
project management, but in reality, most of you have already at some point in
your life. Think back to a time when you organized a key event (e.g., birthday
parties, weddings, yard projects, house renovations, family vacations, projects
at work) which meets the definition of a project.
Describe the event you planned.
Summarize the things that went well and / or things that
went wrong.
Be sure to reference some of the key skills covered from the
chapter.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on how their project could have been improved.
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Week 2 Discussion: Developing Your Project Scope
You have been hired to lead a project (the project of your
choice). As the project manager, you know it is important to get the project
off to a good start. Using the tools provided in the required readings, provide
a quick summary of your project, including the scope and objectives of your
project. Be sure to include a high-level WBS for your project.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on any recommendations to their project.
Week 3 Discussion: Your Project Budget
Last week, you were given the mantles of a project. You have
properly defined your project. Now, it is time to estimate your budget. Using
the information covered in the required readings, describe the budget you will
need to support your project as well as how long it will take to complete it
(using the materials we covered this week).
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their budget recommendations.
Week 4 Discussion:
Communicating Your Project Plan
You have added some new staff to your project team. They have very little understanding of your
project and you don’t have a lot of time to educate them on the project’s
specifics. Using the tools provided in Online Lecture 1, describe how you plan
to get your new staff members up to speed on your project.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their resource recommendations.
Week 5 discussion
Dedicated or Non-Dedicated Resources
You are now deciding on resources for a project team. You
have a choice to staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or allocated)
100% to the project, or staff a team of resources who will be dedicated (or
allocated) part time to your project; however, they will dedicate 100% to the
activities you assigned them. Using information from the readings, which set of
resources will you choose? Or, will you choose a combination of both? Why?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their resource recommendations.
Week 6 Discussion: Managing Risks
You are ready to move forward with your project, but you
realize you have not done a good job in identifying risks for your project.
Using information that you learned from both online lectures, describe a key
risk (either one that is technical, external, or organizational) that could
impact your project. Then, recommend a risk response for it.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their risks and the response chosen to address it.
Week 7 Discussion: Project Challenge – Schedule Change
Your business sponsor and customer are impressed with your
project schedule, but due to some factors out of your / their control, you’ve
been told to deliver your project early. Using the information from the
readings, explain how you would go about assessing the possibility of
delivering your project early. How will that affect scope, costs, and schedule?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 8 Discussion: Being a Leader for Your Project
As we learned in Week 7, your business sponsor and customer
informed you that you have to deliver your project much sooner than
anticipated. When you break the news to your team, they are not happy with the
decision for they are concerned that the project will now fail. Using the
information you learned from readings, what can you do as a leader to ensure
your project team that this is the right thing to do? What will you do to
motivate them?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 9 Discussion: Educating Your Business Sponsor on EVM
Your business sponsor is not familiar with earned value
management (EVM). You have been asked to provide him with a quick overview of
EVM. Using the information covered in the online readings, suggest the top
three (3) EVM performance measures you would educate your business sponsor on.
Provide a rationale for your selection of topics.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their EVM suggestions.
Week 10 Discussion: We are done! Not so fast!
You have now delivered the project to your customer. Now, it
is time to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. Based on
feedback throughout the course, what would you have done differently in terms
of scope, resources, and / or schedule, and why?
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their recommendations.
Week 11 Discussion: What’s Next?
Suppose you have graduated from Strayer University with your
degree and you have been working in the management field for at least five (5)
years. During your five (5) years, you have worked on a variety of projects.
Now, you are thinking you are ready to pursue a certification in project
management, but you are not sure which one to get. After visiting the PMI
certification website, you see several certification options. Select the
certification that would most interest you and explain why you chose such a
certification.
After posting your response, respond to at least one (1) of
your classmates on their selection and rationale.
